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LWSD students more likely to meet ACT college readiness standards

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students who take the ACT, a standardized test used in college admissions, continue to show they are more likely to meet college readiness standards than other students in Washington or in the United States.

Compared nationally and statewide, more district students score high enough on each of the four ACT tests to meet the college readiness benchmark that ACT has set for all four subjects: English, math, reading and science.

While nationally only 26 percent of students met this standard for all four subjects and 41 percent met it statewide, 59 percent of the students in LWSD who took the ACT qualified, two percent more than in 2013.

The district's average composite score rose from 25.5 to 25.7 from 2013 to 2014. Both state and national composite scores rose in 2014. State composite scores rose from 22.8 in 2013 to 23.0 in 2014. The national average rose from 20.9 to 21.0.

Ninety-two percent of LWSD students taking the ACT met the college readiness benchmark score in English, compared to 74 percent statewide and 64 percent nationwide. LWSD English scores remained at 25.5 for the second year in 2014. State level English scores rose from 22.1 in 2013 to 22.3 in 2014 while national English scores also rose from 20.2 to 20.3.

In math, 80 percent of district students met the readiness benchmark, while at the state level it was 62 percent and 43 percent nationally. LWSD average scores rose in math in 2014, from 25.4 to 25.8. State scores also rose from 22.8 in 2012 to 23.3 in 2013 and the national average in math remained 20.9.

For reading, 72 percent of district students met the benchmark compared to 58 percent statewide and 44 percent nationally. LWSD reading scores averaged 25.7, the same as in 2013. Reading scores in the state in 2014 averaged 23.4, up from 23.3 the year before, while national scores rose from 21.1 to 21.3.

In science, 70 percent of LWSD students met the readiness benchmark while 52 percent statewide and 37 percent nationally met that standard. Average scores for Lake Washington students rose in science, from 25.0 in 2013 to 25.2 in 2014. Washington state scores also rose last year, from 22.5 to 22.7 while national score averages rose from 20.7 to 20.8.

"I'm pleased to see that more district students are ready for college-level work and I am proud of the work our teachers are doing to improve math and science results," said LWSD Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce.

The number of students in LWSD who took the ACT test rose from 450 in 2013 to 474 in 2014.

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